In 1983, the
movie "Country" was filmed largely in Readlyn.
It is regarded as the classic film of the farm
crisis of the 80's.

Do you Remember...

When
you could mail two letters and a postcard
for a nickel?

W
hen
the dresses worn were made from the feed
sacks that feed was
brought home from the
feed mill in? (The women would go along to
the feed store to help pick out which
color and pattern of feed sacks
they wanted!)

When
the town businesses would give away dishes
and pottery with their names on them?

When
you used to sip cherry cokes at the soda
fountain in Vic Happel's grocery store?

When
you used to watch movies and go
rollerskating in the community building
that's now the Center Inn?

The
Early Years

(Taken from
the
writings of William Mauer,
estimated to have been
written in 1949.)

By 1900, much of Iowa was
still a
vast prairie. People had settled
on farms,
and towns were scattered. The land had been divided
into counties and townships.
Bremer County has some
of Iowa's riches farm lands, and the Maxfield
township is a fertile spot in this
county.

The Ohlendorfs were a
family of German emigrant settlers who had come to
the land of opportunity to find happiness. They
picked a region about 1.5 miles west of the
Wapsipinicon
River in
northeast Iowa to put up
several buildings.

Trains were becoming a common means
of
transportation in the early
twentieth century.Railroads connected many of the prospering towns. Two of Iowa's early towns
in these farming districts were Waverly and Oelwien.These two towns were connected by railraod, but a shorter route was
desired to give enterprising citizens a closermarket for thier products.

In 1903,
a
representative of the Townside Company came to the Ohlendorf home.He wanted to buy the Ohlendorf land in order to build
a station for the Chicago Great Western
railway line that was to connect Waverly and
Oelwein. The Ohlendorfs sold their
land to the
Townside Company, and it was divided into
lots.

The first of these
lots
was sold in March, 1904. All the Ohlendorf
buildings were sold and torn down, except the
house, which was converted
into a
hotel used mainly
to house the railroad builders. Other businesses were constructed in place of the original
Ohlendorf
farm buildings, and lots were donated for the park
and school yard.

What's
in a Name?

A name was needed to
distinguish this little town. Read was the
name of
the
representative from the Townside Company that
bought the land from the Ohlendorfs. Appreciating
the generous compliance
with their wishes, citizens
living in the vicinity of Read's Line decided on
Readlyn as the
name of their town.

Early
Entertainment

Entertainment
was as
important in early Readlyn as it is now. The
Wapsipinicon River was a
favorite picnic ground.
Sometimes the whole
town would get together and spend the day at the river. There was fishing
for the men, swimming and playing games for the
children, and gossiping for the women. A livery
stable near the town's
main street offered a means of transportation
for those who had none.

Some of the
town's youth
could be found hopping freights
in the summertime
and sleigh riding in the winter. The gunny sack was
always brought to warm cold hands and
feet.

A wedding was a great
event in Readlyn.
A designated person rode to all the houses for miles
around to inform all citizens
of the news, and a two or three day
celebration
would follow.

During the summer, there
were medicine shows by people who
came to offer
their remedies for anything from
corns to
rheumatism. Later these shows were replaced by
Readlyn picnics, which showcased shows, rides and
concessions.
Later, movies were shown and dances
and rollerskating
were held in the halls.

Readlyn
Public School

The first school building
was built about 1905, for first through eighth
grades.
In 1915,
another building was constructed.
The grades were divided, and a second teacher was
hired. From 1930 to 1936,
ninth
through twelfth
grades were added. In 1935, the plan for a new
building passed. It was constructed the same year,
and the other buildings were sold.

The first graduation class
of Readlyn Public
School was in 1937. The following
were part of this class: Mildred Pries, Dorothy Rommel, Florine Bruns, Yvonne Warneke,
Milton
Stumme, Lester Matthias, Arnold Huebner, Arlin
Deterding and Clarence Schumacher.

Hollywood
Visits!

Bremer County is the
setting of "Country," the classic film of the farm
crisis of the 1980s
starring Jessica Lange and Sam Sheppard. Levi Knebel, a boy from a nearby town, had his film debut with his major role as
the son
of the starring couple."Country" was filmed largely
in Readlyn in the summer of 1983, and was released
for the public in October, 1984.

The primary farm setting
is one mile south of the
Bremer County line in
Black Hawk County on a farm owned by Kenneth Fettkether. Many scenes were shot in Readlyn at the
Farmer's Co-op, Meyer's Welding, Readlyn City Hall,
Readlyn Savings Bank, and Center Inn. Many residents of Readlyn and
the surrounding area
played bit parts and served as extras.